Marvel Recruits Ed Brisson for SECRET AVENGERS Infinity Arc

With Marvel’s super heroes fighting on two fronts in both space against the Builder Fleet and on earth with Thanos’ Infinity army, it’s all hands on deck… and that goes for both the characters and creators.

Marvel has drafted in guest writer Ed Brisson of Image’s Comeback to write Secret Avengers’ tie-in to the Infinity event in October’s #10 and November’s #11 joining artist Luke Ross, with series writer Nick Spencer returning with December’s twelfth issue. In these two issues, Brisson and Ross (see some of his in-progress art debuting here) puts S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top agents as one of Earth’s last lines of defense. Maria Hill is pulling together the spy agency’s resources, while Coulson and Fury are up to their necks in aliens in Brooklyn. And in the middle of all that, the team has an unlikely new recruit, who Brisson sure seems to be hinting is of a new Inhuman nature .

We should note, Brisson is taking the "Secret" in the title to heart, using it for an all-new, all-different kind of tease from a comic book creator.

Newsarama: With Thanos’ Infinity army looming above Earth about to strike, these two issues show how S.H.I.E.L.D. responds to this. What are Maria, Nick and Coulson up to here, Ed?

Ed Brisson: They're no longer looming above earth in these two issues. Thanos and his cronies are down on the ground, getting all up in our business. Maria has her hands full trying to manage S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources. There are multiple attacks underway and she's trying to point as many resources at each as she can. Nick and Coulson are in Brooklyn fighting off a seemingly endless stream of aliens.

Nrama: Which of Thanos’ lieutenants will they be fighting against?

Brisson: Rather than fighting with the lieutenants directly, they're fighting their henchmen. Hundreds upon hundreds of their henchmen. Nasty, ugly and vicious henchmen.

Nrama: Do this trio of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top operators have anyone else they can count on?

Brisson: They do! There's a new player from within S.H.I.E.L.D., a former [REDACTED] who has woken to find that she has [REDACTED] will be joining Nick and Coulson on the battlefield alongside the Iron Patriot, who has essentially become a core member of the Secret Avengers.

Nrama: Fighting a space invasion doesn’t sound like a good time to train a new member, but the Secret Avengers are indeed getting someone new. Can you tell us about them?

Brisson: This new person is someone who readers will be meeting for the first time. She's someone who's only recently come into her powers (possibly as a result of the events of Infinity) and is still learning how to properly use them. But, in these times of overwhelming alien invasions, S.H.I.E.L.D. has to use all the resources available to them. It's sink or swim time for our new recruit.

Nrama: And who or what is the Junkman of Brooklyn we learnt about in the solicitations for these issues?

Brisson: The Junkman of Brooklyn is a sanitation worker who has a chip on his shoulder and the opportunity to finally do something about it. He's on a mission to clean the streets of Brooklyn – which doesn't bode well for our heroes. The only thing the Junkman hates more than alien invaders is super heroes.

Nrama: And for your second issue you’re taking the “Secret” in the title seriously, by obfuscating a certain face from the book’s cover for a later reveal. I’m not authorized to use any harsh interrogation tactics here, but can you say anything about this mystery character?

Brisson: If I told you about the mystery character, then he wouldn't be a mystery character...

Hey...uh...Chris, what are you doing with that drill? Hey! Hey! Just wait, ok!?! I have a wife...a kid! No...no! Nooooooooooooooo...

Ok, fine...fine...I'll talk. The mystery character is [REDACTED].

Nrama: Did you have any conversations with Nick Spencer about stepping in on these two issues, to keep the consistency of the book?

Brisson: Nick and I talked over Skype before I started in on the scripting. Because these two issues take place as part of Infinity, they're going to be separate from what's been happening in Secret Avengers up until this point. Their ongoing mission hasn't been forgotten, just put on hold. It's hard to rationalize dealing with scheming A.I.M. agents abroad when you've got thousands of blood-thirsty aliens on your doorstep.

With these two issues, readers will get a complete story that will still work for those who aren't following the Infinity event. For those who are, these issues will hopefully build on their experience.